THE University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) is set to name former PBA mainstay Roger Yap as the official head coach of its Collegiate team in the forthcoming 26th Season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi).
Though everything has yet to be finalized, Yap, a former Jaguar himself, has been given the green light to recruit some aspiring players to fill up the void vacated by some active student-athletes who decided to leave the school.
Yap is set to replace Julius Cadavis, who had also handled the high school team over the past two years.
In his PBA stint, Yap played for the franchises of Purefoods, FedEx, Shell, San Miguel and Barako Bull.
Veteran mentor Edito Salacut is also heading back as head coach of the secondary squad.
The school also has a new sports moderator in Fr. Vicente L. Ramon Jr.
Amid these major changes at USJ-R, a huge challenge now looms over both the college and high school teams.
This is because several players have reportedly decided not to continue playing under the new school’s leadership.
When interviewed, Yap said they respected the decision of some players, since it is their right.
He did not deny that some individuals may have influenced the decision of student-athletes, who have chosen to prioritize something other than education.
“There’s nothing we can do about their decision because that’s their choice. Maybe they also have different goals,”
Yap said.
However, Yap added that not all players are leaving, as there are still some who chose to stay and continue to play for their school.
The same situation is also happening with coach Salacut’s high school team. Salacut has long been regarded as a loyalist of USJ-R.
Coaching the high school squad is nothing new for him since he had previously served in the position before. Even after being replaced some years back, he continued serving the school as coach of the elementary team.
Because of their current situation, both Yap and Salacut are now aggressively recruiting players.
It was reported earlier that the names of coaches Norberto “Titing” Manalili and Joel Co surfaced as among the candidates being considered to handle the
college team.
It was also said that social media sensation coach Chelito Caro expressed interest in
the position.
Yap and Salacut have yet to name their respective deputies. Yap will probably top his former coach Pablo Yu as his team consultant. Yap played for Purefoods during his stint in the PBA. / JBM